A different perspective 10/09/2021

[Picture by Karren McPherson]

Do you ever get worked up about something and later on you wonder what all the fuss was about? Maybe I am the only one who does that! The Corinthians were making a fuss about Christian leaders. There were some who thought that Paul was a great guy. Others had no time for Paul - they thought that Apollos was the man to listen to. He could run rings round Paul as far as public speaking was concerned. Paul was not much to look at and his talks were always lacking in oomph. Apollos was an orator and in the Greek world great public speakers were greatly admired. And then there were others who thought that Peter was the man to look up to. He belonged to the mother church in Jerusalem and so had status and credibility. They would never mention his wee bit wobble at the time of Jesus trial when he had denied his Lord three times. Peter was the real leader. By the way, there was another group which looked down their noses on all of these faction and cliques. They were the true followers of Jesus - they did not have any time for these other so-called leaders. This last group is interesting because it reminds me of some statements I used to hear in my teenage years attending Christian conferences. You might imagine that this last group has got it right - but they were still displaying sinful pride and despising other Christians. They were right to condemn making too much of men but they let pride get in the way and they were no better than the others.

So Paul writes a verse which puts all of this into perspective. Here it is.

So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. [1 Corinthians 3:21-22 NIV]

Notice the headlines in this verse. I am going to highlight them in a different order

1. All things are yours - you have an inheritance that is too wonderful for words.

2. You belong to Christ - you are of Christ

3. You belong to God - Christ is of God

4. Stop boasting about human leaders!

5. These leaders - Paul, Apollos, Cephas are all yours - they are all servants of God on your behalf

6. Your inheritance in God encompasses great things - the world, life, death, present, future. Wow!

So Paul says that we need to remember that we are heirs of a great inheritance that makes all these earthly things seem trivial. We must not make too much of any one leader and we must not forget the true perspective.

I could have chosen many things from my life to illustrate this lesson but I feel that God wants me to share a story that will not make me look too good. But it is worth sharing. When Janie and I felt it was right to move from our previous home town of Stevenston, we put our home up for sale. I had invested many hours of DIY time into it and it seemed a very desirable home. It had so much space to park vehicles in the drive and it could be accessed from two roads. It has a huge lounge with massive windows looking over the Firth of Clyde. After the advert went public, I expected a flood of visitors wanting to purchase this home. We got none. Not a single person came to see it for six weeks or maybe more. It seemed like an eternity. I was shocked and saddened. I was bitter. Looking back, it was all part of God's plan and his timing was perfect. I was too taken up with silly things such as house prices etc. God had to teach me a valuable lesson. Robert, you are a citizen of heaven. All things are yours. In Christ, you have everything.

Maybe someone is reading this blog and things have been getting too much for you. Maybe you feel let down. Have you got things out of perspective. Like me, have you forgotten about the inheritance that awaits you in Christ and it is already guaranteed. Here is how Peter reminded believers who had had to flee and were part of the diaspora - those who had to leave their homeland and seek refuge elsewhere.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, [1 Peter 1:3-4]

Again, there is another lesson for us in today's verses. Stop boasting about human leaders! They are only servants and they are responsible to serve us as they serve Christ.